Rivalry between the Marehan and Awlihan clans in this region assumed serious dimensions about 1910 when a British post was opened at Serenleh. From this base attempts were made in 1912 to bring the Marehan under effective administrative control. Further friction, however, led to the mounting of an expedition of the King's African Rifles between 1913 and 1914. Tension between the two clans appears to have been fanned by the activities of 'Abd ar-Rahman Mursal, a prominent headman of the Awlihan employed as an agent by the British authorities. He seems to have been a rather unhappy choice, for in 1915 after making an official visit to Nairobi, he returned to the area to broadcast the news that the country between Wajir and Serenle had been placed under his authority. This encouraged the Awlihan to provoke their enemies the Marehan and in the resulting tension to rebuff all attempts at mediation on the part of the Administration. In 1916, after a savage Awlihan attack on the Marehan, matters came to a head and 'Abd ar-Rahman Mursal was warned that unless camels looted in the raid were returned he would be dismissed from government service and imprisoned. He was not, however, to be intimidated and contrived a daring attack on Serenle post in which the local British official was killed along with the majority of his guard. With the arms and ammunition which had been seized, Serenle remained in the hands of the Awlihan until the Italian Resident at Bardera, on the opposite side of the Juba, crossed the river with his askaris and drove the Awlihan out.

I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Som…, loc. 780